Halftime at Sauk Centre (VIDEOS*)

The B-B-E Jaguars girls' basketball team struggled across the last 9 minutes of the first half at Sauk Centre tonight. After Kacey Fischer scored with 9:20 left to give the Jaguars a 13-11 lead, the Mainstreeters went on a tear. With 2:08 left, a three-pointer gave Sauk Centre a 26-14 lead.

Halftime: Sauk Centre 26, B-B-E 19.
A buzzer-beating shot from the right baseline by Kamie Fischer closed out the first half with a 5-0 run by B-B-E.

The game is being aired on Smooth Magic 107 FM of Glenwood. They broadcast online: https://www.kmgk1071.com. The varsity boys' basketball game will begin after this game concludes. It will likely be around an 8 p.m. tip-off.

Here's a video recorded early in the first half last night against Royalton:


Road conditions are terrible. Be smart about your travels if you are out and about tonight! Game updates will be posted here after the conclusion of the girls' varsity game.

*In the second half, with five minutes to go, the Mainstreeters are ahead 45-39.

Final girls' basketball score: Sauk Centre 54, B-B-E 50. The Jaguars fall to 11-4 overall with the loss.

The boys' varsity game will start at about 7:55 p.m.

UPDATE: after spotting the Mainstreeters 15 points to start the game, the Jaguars trail 35-18 at halftime. Sauk Centre shot the lights out from beyond the arc. With 13:40 left, Jacob Drevlow made his team's third three-pointer, and the score was 15-0.

By the 9-minute mark, Sauk Centre connected on their sixth three-pointer, and their lead was 25-3.

Here's a video featuring action in the final minute of the 1st half:


The second half should begin at about 8:35 p.m.

An uphill climb at the end, Jaguars fall in game five (VIDEO)

The B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team had a steep hill to climb in game five tonight at Sauk Centre high school. After holding leads of 4-3 and 5-4, the Jaguars appeared overwhelmed by an inspired and emotionally-charged Sauk Centre Mainstreeters team. I'll have to follow up, but from what I saw after the match, their head coach earned some type of coaching milestone tonight.

In game five tonight, Sauk Centre led 6-5 before they served into the net. The 6-6 tie was a quick memory after the Mainstreeters earned three straight kills that ultimately shifted the momentum firmly to their side. They continued scoring up to a 13-6 lead. That 7-0 run was the final dagger for the Jaguars. Final score: Sauk Centre 15, B-B-E 8. The Mainstreeters improve to 11-1 overall with the win.

On attacks, the Jaguars hit at a 12.3 percent clip and had three players in double figures for kills: Ava Mueller with 24, Paige Rupp with 11 and Brooklyn Fischer with 10.

Video is uploading. And before I forget, here's the game scores tonight: 25-17, 26-24, 19-25, 17-25, 8-15. It's time to call it a night for blogging and get back to my newspaper.

This weekend on Saturday, the Jaguars travel to Crosby-Ironton high school for a 16-team tournament. Teams included are Ada-Borup, Barnum, Aitkin, Deer River, East Central, Hermantown, Little Falls, Mille Lacs, Moose Lake/Willow River, Pillager, Pine River-Backus, Silver Bay, Upsala, Verndale and the host Rangers. The C-I high school was the venue for the 2019 boys' basketball Section 5A finals featuring our B-B-E Jaguars and the Cromwell-Wright Cardinals.

*Here's video from early in game one tonight; it started with the Jaguars holding a 5-0 lead before Sauk Centre earned a side out:


**Here's a video featuring the final points scored in game three tonight:


This was a tough match to lose. Sauk Centre is on that list of teams that I really, really enjoy beating! They have a fabulous head coach in Jim Klaphake. He's one of the best in rural Minnesota. Our Jaguars absolutely played their hearts out. I believe there was still some hangover/fatigue at play after they were in a real meat grinder of a tournament down in Marshall this past weekend. They had three days/nights of volleyball in three days. That's tough! Thursday, Friday and Saturday. However, on the upside, meat grinder-style schedules absolutely help prepare you for the postseason.

On a better note, I greatly enjoyed visiting with St. Cloud State University women's volleyball head coach Chad Braegelman, who's a Rocori high school and University of Minnesota-Morris graduate. I saw him during game two, and he stayed through the rest of the barn burner match. He has signed B-B-E's Emily Kern on a Division II scholarship. That is very exciting! Coach Braegelman's Huskies volleyball team is ranked No. 23 in the latest AVCA women's Division II coaches' poll.

More to come tomorrow. I may not post much more tonight, as I have a newspaper to get ready for the printing press early in the morning!